Strong foundations, then a successful pivot: this year's 'National Capital Region's Top Employers' are announced

OTTAWA, ON, Feb. 1, 2022 /CNW/ - Employers in Canada's national capital region had a head start in terms of looking after their employees when the pandemic arrived. Many employers in the region already had strong foundational workplace programs and were able to successfully pivot when employees' needs changed during the pandemic. The best of these initiatives were recognized today, as this year's National Capital Region's Top Employers was announced by Mediacorp Canada Inc., organizers of the annual Canada's Top 100 Employers project.

"Employers in the nation's capital excel when it comes to providing stable, foundational benefits, such as family-friendly and time-off policies" says Richard Yerema, Managing Editor of the Canada's Top 100 Employers project. "While trends in this region are influenced by the presence of the public sector, they are uniquely balanced by a growing tech sector, which has the creative license to think outside the box when it comes to imagining the workplace."

"Over the course of the pandemic, a key focus for employers has been flexibility, ensuring their employees can not only work from home, but also can take time for themselves and their loved ones," adds Kristina Leung, Senior Editor at Mediacorp. "Employers have also invested in making mental health services accessible, with many increasing coverage limits and building awareness through internal programming."

Some of the notable initiatives singled out this year include:

• Adobe Systems Canada helped ensure that employees were able to take time off to recharge over the course of the pandemic, instituting company-wide days off every three weeks for the duration of 2020 – and providing up to 20 paid days off for employees who were unable to work due to COVID-19 related circumstances.
  
  
• Over the past year, Kinaxis doubled the amount of its counselling benefit and ensured employees had access to mental health training – in addition, the company hosted at-home exercise challenges to encourage employees to stay fit and offered an in-house program ('Kinaction') for health and wellness programming.
  
  
• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada supports a network of employees who serve as wellness ambassadors for mental health and wellness along with related informational events (such as a TED Talk series, yoga, guest speakers and presentations) – all with the aim of reducing stigma and making it easier for employees to access help.
  
  
• At Lumentum, a range of emergency leave policies have helped employees during the pandemic, including paid time off to care for a sick family member or child (100 per cent of salary for up to eight weeks), paid time off for child care due to school/daycare closure (100 per cent of salary for up to 12 weeks), and paid time off to quarantine (100 per cent of salary for up to two weeks).
  
  
• Momentive Canada, developers of the SurveyMonkey application, offers progressive time off policies, providing employees with up to 20 paid personal days off annually and a unique sabbatical program ('Take 4') that allows employees to receive four consecutive paid weeks off to recharge, work on a passion project, or for personal matters – the sabbatical is available to employees with four years of service and renews in four-year increments.
  
  
• At Tehama, a progressive paid time-off policy provides employees with 30 days of flexible time to be used throughout the year – whether for vacation, sick time, professional development, or time off to volunteer in the community.
  
  
• University of Ottawa created a special initiative ('You Matter, We Care') to help managers support employees during the pandemic with wellness surveys, virtual town halls, a virtual wellness series, and additional days off – the university also offers generous coverage for mental health services, ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 annually.

Published annually since 2006, the National Capital Region's Top Employers is an editorial competition that recognizes employers in the Ottawa-Gatineau area that lead their industries in offering exceptional places to work. Employers throughout the province were evaluated by the editors at Canada's Top 100 Employers using the same criteria as the national competition: (1) Physical Workplace; (2) Work Atmosphere & Social; (3) Health, Financial & Family Benefits; (4) Vacation & Time Off; (5) Employee Communications; (6) Performance Management; (7) Training & Skills Development; and (8) Community Involvement. Employers are compared to other organizations in their field to determine which offer the most progressive and forward-thinking programs. The annual competition is open to any employer with its head office in the Ottawa-Gatineau area; employers of any size may apply, whether private or public sector.

Founded in 1992, Mediacorp Canada Inc. is the nation's largest publisher of employment periodicals. Since 1999, the Toronto-based publisher has managed the Canada's Top 100 Employers project, which includes 18 regional and special-interest editorial competitions that reach millions of Canadians annually through a variety of magazine and newspaper partners, including The Globe and Mail. Mediacorp also operates Eluta.ca, one of Canada's largest job search engines, which reaches millions of job-seekers annually and features editorial reviews from the Canada's Top 100 Employers project.

The full list of National Capital Region's Top Employers (2022) was announced today in a special magazine co-published with the Ottawa Citizen. Detailed reasons for selection for each of the winners were released by the editors today and are accessible via the competition homepage.

SOURCE Mediacorp Canada Inc.

Stephanie Leung, Assistant Editor, 416-964-6069 x1477